Fraud-detecting bottle.



PATENTED JUNEZO, 1905) H. METZINGER.

FRAUD DETECTING BOTTLE.

APPLICIATION FILED NOV. 25, 1904.

WITNESSES:

ATTORNEYS Patented June 20, 1905.

PATENT rEicE.

HENRY METZINGER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FRAUD-DETECTING BOTTLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 792,911, dated June 20, 1905.

Application filed November 25, 1904. Serial No. 234,180.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY METZINGER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Fraud- Detecting Bottle, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to the dispensing of liquors, beverages, &c., from bottles.

The object of the invention is to prevent replenishing of the contents of bottles with fraudulent or adulterated mixtures.

As is well known, in selling liquids of various kinds from bottles which have been partially emptied ample opportunity is afforded for the perpetration or a fraud upon the purchaser, because the bottle bearing the name of a superior brand may be continually replenished with an inferior substitute, which becomes to all appearances the genuine article. By the practice of the present invention it is hoped to prevent such frauds.

Reference is to be had to the accompany-ing drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indi cate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 represents a bottle in elevation with which my invention has been incorporated. Fig. 2 is a side elevation representing the upper portion of a bottle of a modified form with which my invention has been incorporated, and in this view the body of the bottle and label are represented as broken away; and Fig. 3 is a side elevation representing the lower portion of the body of the bottle shown in Fig. 2 and illustrating how the invention is practiced.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1 of the drawings, 1 represents the body of the bottle, the same being of common form and presenting elevated shoulders 2, beyond which the bottle is formed with a suitable neck 4. The body of this bottle is of substantially rectangular cross-section, so as to present a flat face, to which I attach a label 5. As indicated, this label substantially covers the forward face of the body of the bottle and conforms substantially to the outline thereof. The label is preferably attached to the bottle by paste or glue disposed along and between parallel lines 5 5 and 6 6, respectively. By horizontal perforations, cuts, creases or lines 7 the entire label is divided into a plurality of detachable sections 8, and these are numbered successively from the top of the label to the bottom. The distance between the lines 7 should correspond substantially to the change of level of the liquid within the bottle which would ordinarily result at one using of the bottle. In alinement with the creases 7 and preferably at the left extremity thereof the edge of the label is provided with horizontal incisions or slits 9, which are located beyond the pasting-lines 5 5, so that the left portion of all the detachable sections is free at its extremity in such manner as to enable'the sections to be readily grasped and torn off. In tearing the sections off the free portion of the section being removed will be pulled toward the right, as indicated in Fig. 3, so as to tear the same from the body of the label along one of the lines 7. The fingers are preferably placed upon the detachable sections at the free portions of the same, as shown in the drawings. At the right a plurality of marks or initials are printed upon the label, and these correspond, respectively, with thedetachable sections. These marks are either the trademark or the initials of the proprietor of the brand which the bottle contains. Thus in the illustration the initials are J. D., which represent the name John Doe, who is supposed to be the proprietor of the brand. The body of the label may have any marks or names, &c., written thereupon as desired.

In applying a label to a bottle of the form shown in Figs. 2 and 3, where the bottle has an inclined shoulder 10, the body 11 of the label is of substantially the form shown in Fig. 1; butitis provided, preferablycentrally, with an upwardly-projecting tongue 12, which is numbered 1 and which corresponds to the first detachable section of the label of the form first described.

The persons dispensing the contents of hottles incorporating my invention will be required to remove the detachable sections of the label, so that the upper edge of the remaining portion of the label conforms substantially to the level of the remaining contents. From this arrangement it will of course follow that if a spurious mixture is added to the contents of the bottle the level within the bottle will be raised above the up per edge of the remaining label and will at once arouse suspicion.

Upon a suitable point on the label, preferably at the bottom thereof, directions are inscribed to the efi'ect that the separable sections of the label are to be removed constantly, so as to maintain the same level as that of the contents of the bottle.

Having thus described my invention, Icla-im as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent A bottle in combination with a label, said label being attached to the face of said bottle in vertically-elongated separated areas, said label being provided with a plurality of lines dividing the same into a plurality of separable divisions, said label having numbers corresponding successively to said divisions, and incisions in the edge thereof separating said numbers and alining substantially with said lines.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY METZINGER.

Witnesses:

GEO. W. FAYSTED, J. W. FRASER. 

